1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to timing devices for use in athletics, in particular, to a timing device for use in athletics which is activated by the athlete and which provides audible feedback to help the athlete improve his or her sense of timing.
2. Background Art
Almost any athlete can verify the importance of timing in succeeding in athletics. In football, receivers rely on timing to catch a pass thrown by the quarterback, who previously timed his pass-release of the football, while the linemen, in turn, rely on their own sense of timing so that they may proceed down field after the football has been thrown by the quarterback. In baseball, base runners rely on timing when trying to steal a base, as they know that, on the average, if they have not reached the base within a known period of time, chances are the catcher will have "thrown them out". Basketball players are continuously trying to beat the thirty second clock and game clock with last second shots.
Coaches spend a great deal of their time, with stopwatch in hand, providing the athlete with feedback as to when and where the athlete must be at any given time. This process consumes the attention of the coach, making it difficult for the coach to concentrate on other crucial aspects of the game. If a timing device were available which initiated a timing sequence at the beginning of an athletic event and provided an audible feedback signal at the end of a selectable time period, all without the attention of the coach, the coach would be able to direct his attentions elsewhere. Likewise, the athlete could practice his timing absent of the coach.
WILLIAMS, U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,458 teaches an athletic evaluation and training apparatus for testing and enhancing a football player's ability to quickly react to visual stimuli. The device consists of two timers, controlled by optical switching means, and a plurality of visual stimuli which provide an indication to the player as to his next course of action. The first timer is used to keep track of how quickly any given athlete reaches a first decision point within the timed sequence. The second timer evaluates the swiftness of the athlete in completing the entire sequence of events. The device and method as taught by Williams, is used solely for evaluating an athlete's performance in an artificial environment.
What is needed is a timing apparatus for use within the natural environment of a particular athletic event which provides audible feedback to the athlete during the course of play to enhance the athlete's timing abilities. Timing ability relates to the ability of one player to correlate his actions with the actions of another player, i.e. a quarterback throwing an on target pass, while the receiver is still running the pattern, and the receiver, in turn, turning to catch the ball at exactly the right moment.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a timing apparatus which can be used on the athletic playing field and provides an audible signal to the athletes. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a timer which is activated by the natural motion of an athlete at the beginning of athletic play. Other objects of the present invention are to provide a timer which delays the audible signal activation for a selectable period of time after the timer has been activated and, further, a timer which provides an audible signal of selectable duration.